Qin Chen looked at Su Li, who had suddenly barged in, a strange flicker crossing his eyes.
She wore a white Mage robe, her graceful figure concealed beneath its wide folds. With her classic, delicate face and long black hair cascading over her shoulders, she radiated a classical beauty, though it was tinged with an icy, keep-your-distance air.
Taking in the scene inside the classroom, Su Li immediately realized that Qin Chen was being bullied.
She stepped directly in front of Qin Chen to shield him, her cold gaze fixed on Zhou Tianqi.
The onlookers in the classroom gasped in astonishment at her abrupt appearance.
"It's Su Li!"
None of them expected to actually see Su Li here.
Su Li was the dream goddess of every male student in the school. Not only was she exceptionally striking and beautiful, but her innate talent and strength were also formidable. She had awakened the hidden Psionist class, causing a sensation across the campus and becoming a universally renowned genius.
Even the academy's senior administrators and teachers were shaken by her arrival, placing high hopes on her to win a top spot in the National Freshman Championship and wash away the shame of the academy's bottom-tier ranking from previous years.
Presently, she was the apple of the faculty's eye, cherished and pampered.
"Su Li should be leveling up in the academy's dungeon right now. Why did she suddenly come back to the classroom?"
An onlooker asked in confusion.
"Do you even have to ask? It's definitely because of Qin Chen. The two of them grew up as childhood sweethearts. Hearing that Qin Chen is being bullied, of course she rushed over to help."
Someone nearby immediately replied.
Listening to the chatter around her, Su Li's expression remained completely unchanged.
She had been leveling up in an academy mystic realm when a friend suddenly messaged her, saying Qin Chen was being bullied on her account.
She immediately cut short her training in the realm and hurried back to the classroom.
Zhou Tianqi looked utterly wretched.
He was clearly the one who got hurt—how could the blame possibly fall on him?
Besides, why was Qin Chen's body so rock-solid?
Zhou Tianqi could still feel a lingering pain in his knuckles.
Glaring at Qin Chen, who was hiding behind Su Li, he could only grind his teeth and resolve to settle the score another time.
There was no helping it; he couldn't beat Su Li.
Not only was Su Li a Psionist with a hidden class, but she had also reached level 5. Her level, strength, and talent completely crushed his.
With a dark expression, he could only tuck his tail between his legs and hurry out of the classroom.
Qin Chen watched Zhou Tianqi leave so abruptly, filled with confusion.
Why did he just leave like that?
Shouldn't it be time for the classic face-slapping routine?
That was how these plots always went.
Why weren't they playing by the rules?
Just then, he felt his hand being caught by a small, soft palm.
He looked up at the owner of the hand and saw that it was Su Li.
"What are you doing?" Qin Chen asked, puzzled.
"Going home!"
Holding Qin Chen's hand, Su Li walked out of the classroom amid the astonished gazes of the crowd, leading him all the way out of the academy.
Qin Chen's parents had both died when he was young, so he had grown up under the roof of Su Boyue, an old comrade-in-arms of his father, Qin Mu. Su Boyue and Qin Mu had been comrades for many years, sharing life and death together after joining the Huaxia Town-Demon Army, which forged a deep friendship between them.
After Qin Chen's parents died in an accidental battle, Su Boyue took Qin Chen in and raised him as his own son.
Because of this, Qin Chen and Su Li had known each other since childhood, growing up as sweethearts.
Before long, the two walked outside the academy, and only then did Su Li let go of Qin Chen's hand.
"Why is your luck so terrible? You only awakened an ordinary class, and now you need me to protect you. You used to be the one protecting me."
Su Li looked at Qin Chen with a hint of grievance in her eyes.
She looked just like a young girl whose partner had proved unfaithful.
"Ahem."
Meeting Su Li's gaze, Qin Chen instinctively averted his eyes.
"What can I do? My luck is just this bad, there's no helping it."
Seeing Qin Chen's expression, Su Li quickly spoke in a soft, comforting tone, "It's fine. Although Mages are a bit weak in the early stages, once you learn forbidden techniques later on, you'll be very strong."
As she spoke, she handed him a skill book.
"This is for you."
Looking at the skill book emitting a faint blue glow in Su Li's hand, Qin Chen felt a sudden wave of surprise.
A rare-tier blue skill book.
Every skill book was extraordinarily precious and could only be dropped by slaying Fierce Beasts.
Furthermore, acquiring a skill that matched one's own class was even rarer.
There were only two possibilities.
One was defying odds with godly luck by slaying a Fierce Beast and having it drop; the other was having enough financial resources to buy it or trade for it using resources.
Su Li must have put a lot of thought and effort into obtaining this skill book.
Qin Chen took the skill book and glanced at it.
[Meteor Technique: Summon a meteor from the sky to smash into enemies, dealing massive damage]
"Su Li..."
Su Li waved her hand dismissively, pretending not to care, only to hear Qin Chen's next words.
"How about you keep me as your kept man? That way I won't have to struggle anymore!"
Su Li's eyes widened, and her delicate willow eyebrows arched upward.
"You take my skill book, and you still dare to harbor designs on me?!"
Qin Chen quickly took a few steps back, raised his hands, and said, "Just kidding, just kidding, don't take it seriously."
"Hmph!"
Su Li tossed her little head, left Qin Chen behind, and walked briskly toward home, leaving behind only a charming silhouette.
Watching her, Qin Chen rubbed his nose helplessly and hurried to catch up.
......
Before long, the two arrived back home one after the other.
Seeing them return, Su Mother smiled and said, "Dinner is just cooked, go wash your hands and eat."
"Thanks, Aunt Su!"
Qin Chen didn't stand on ceremony. After washing his hands, he picked up his bowl and sat right down at the dining table.
Su Li sat across from Qin Chen as well. Without glancing at him, she let her flush cheeks give away some unknown emotion.
Su Boyue also came to the dining table and sat down. He wore black-rimmed glasses, had a messy mop of hair, and looked entirely like an ordinary middle-aged uncle.
"Uncle Su!"
Qin Chen quickly greeted him.
"Mhm." Su Boyue nodded.
Then, the family of four quietly began their lunch.
Before long, Su Boyue finished eating ahead of the others.
He looked up at Qin Chen, who was still shoveling rice into his mouth, a flash of a smile crossing his face.
"Qin Chen, come find me in the study later."
With that, he left the dining table first and entered the study.
"Oh."
Qin Chen nodded hastily, though he felt a twinge of curiosity about what Uncle Su wanted with him.
Without further hesitation, he quickly polished off the remaining rice in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and stood up to head toward the study.
"Uncle Su, what did you want to see me about?"
As soon as he entered the study, Qin Chen made himself right at home and pulled up a chair to sit down.
Su Boyue put down the book in his hand, reached up to adjust his black-rimmed glasses, and then spoke.
"I already know about you awakening an ordinary class. It doesn't matter."
"There are thousands of roads anyway, and all roads lead to Rome. I asked an old comrade of mine for a favor and secured a cushy position for you in the Logistics Department of the Town-Demon Army."
"You can work there from now on, and making a living won't be a problem."
"Besides, you won't have to face Fierce Beasts directly, so your safety is guaranteed."
"Take my letter of introduction and report to the Town-Demon Army in a few days."
Hearing Su Boyue's words, Qin Chen felt a daze wash over him.
His parents had died when he was young, and Uncle Su had taken him in and raised him ever since.
Now, learning that he had awakened an ordinary class and that his path to university was blocked, Uncle Su had immediately racked his brains to secure a job for him.
He must have spent a lot of energy and effort, even pulling strings with his old comrades to make it happen.
Qin Chen opened his mouth.
"Uncle Su..."
Su Boyue waved his hand dismissively.
"No need to say anything, it's only right..."
Seeing his words interrupted, Qin Chen awkwardly rubbed his nose.
"Uncle Su, I mean... I feel that with my ability, I should be able to go to university!"
......